Archive for August, 2012

Summer 2012 completely changed my outlook on music and the industry entirely, in fact I’ve never had more fun in my life. My 5 week visit to Berklee College of Music was an experience like no other, it was amazing all of the things I learned in just a short time and inspired me to work harder to shove my foot in the door to this crazy industry.

I was honestly scared to death after my mother left me in the Berklee Performance Center to catch her flight back to Colorado, but as soon as I met a few friends and got settled into my dorm on Commonwealth street, I eased up and became excited about my courses. My favorite classes were musicianship and of coarse performance perspectives, which every week a new group would perform and share their experiences in the Performance Center. Music theory was so hard to me but it was very interesting to dig deeper into music. Above all of the classes and the sight seeing of Boston, what I loved the most was jamming, recording, and performing with my incredibly talented room mates at the dorm. Berklee really taught me how important it is to get music recorded to sound good and get myself out there. Being surrounded by new talent and the whole idea of just being in Boston at the program inspired me more than anything before, I was able to write new songs every week.

Coming home was sad, but I took what I’ve learned and applied it to my life here in Colorado. I’m working on finishing this song I wrote on Boston and getting my music recorded so I could make a small demo. I cannot stress enough the need to sound professional, and the best way to achieve this is to get the music recorded! Luckily enough I have full access to HyperThreat Sound Studios, they always take great care of me and make my music sound awesome. After my experience with Berklee I trust the engineers at Hyperthreat to make me sound professional, Anne also keeps me on track with great vocal exercises and helps me through any rough patches I have in a song.

I hope to be able to go to Berklee full time and continue down this road to becoming a musician and joining the crazy industry. Who knows the possibilities that could come from Hyperthreat and Berklee combined?!

HyperThreat Sound is a professional recording studio in Denver Colorado. We are a full service studio offering recording, mixing, and mastering. We offer instrument and amp rentals for sessions as well. HyperThreat – Recording Studio Denver.

“Hey man, do you do radio?” – Sheesh… If I had a buck for every time someone asked me that, I’d be a freakin’ millionaire and not have to actually be on the radio. The answer is, “NO! I don’t DO radio.” (If I only knew what “doing” radio really meant and I’m sure the people that work in radio hate that terminology to begin with).

I do, however, work in the VOICE OVER world. For nearly 15 years now I’ve been recording voice overs for clients… well… all around the world. From CNN to Southern California Edison (electric company). From TV shows to local cable commercials. Books. Online Instructional pieces. Everything in between! In 15 years, I’ve recorded over 5,000 voice over pieces. That’s a lot of my voice out there in the world (which my mom was telling me I apparently did a lot of as a kid).

What I’ve NEVER DONE… I’ve never had an agent. Only auditioned one time. Lost the job to Kent McCord (from One Adam 12 if you recall the show). I didn’t mind because if I have to lose a job via audition to someone, losing it to Kent McCord isn’t a bad wrap. The client liked my voice better, but wanted a “star” recognizable voice. Seems to be the way of VO needs these days. Especially in the movies where they want recognizable actor’s voices rather than VO artists who could do a better job (yep – I said it).

In all that time I’ve been blessed to have received work via word of mouth and my own PR efforts. That’s the truth. I’ve often wondered, what would my VO career have looked like if I had actually been represented and had an agency working on my behalf? I’m still young enough and strong enough with my voice to do that… just not a 100% sure I am ready to go that route, yet.

What about you? How many times have people told you, “You have a voice for radio” or “Do you do voice overs?” If you hear that quite often, you may want to consider Voice Over work as an opportunity. Believe me when I say IT’S NOT FOR EVERYONE! Many people are told they have great voices but when it comes down to it, THEY SUCK! Just watch American Idol and you’ll know what I’m talking about. How many times have we heard people say to the judges during auditions, “Yeah, I sing at church and everyone tells me I have a great voice.” – then – they open their mouths… DOH! Clearly, someone lied to them.

“What are you getting at, Wes?” Great question… What I really want to communicate is, before you spend a TON of money on gear, before you go to one of those crazy “VOICE OVER SCHOOLS” where they charge you insane money and tell everyone, “You have a great voice, all you need is more classes”… Let me help you. We are offering professional evaluations at the HYPERTHREAT STUDIOS in Parker, Colorado.

We are offering a 3 hour evaluation class for $127.00. You will be coached, recorded, and given an honest (and professional) opinion on whether or not VOICE OVER work is right for you. Who knows? You might be the new Don LaFontaine! One thing is for sure, if you are NOT Voice Over material, we will tell you straight up. We don’t need anymore people trying to enter a profession they are not ready or prepared to do.

However – if you ARE the kind of talent that really has the potential, we will give you direction, information, and help lead you into the professional world of “VO” and ensure you come away with solid training, a complete knowledge of what the industry has to offer (and there is a LOT), and a DEMO REEL that is sure to get you noticed.

What do you say? Want to see if you’ve got what it takes? Stop waving your hand and saying, “ah… go on!” to those people who tell you that your voice is fantastic! Take a chance. Sign up for our up-and-coming class. Email us for details!